


Water Under the Bridge

by trickytrinket



Series: Never Let Us Go [10]
Category: British Actor RPF, Irish Actor RPF, Michael Fassbender - Fandom, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Broken Friendship, Childhood Friends, F/M, Friendship, Old Friend, Some feels, and maybe sexual tension, family issue, new relatioship, probably some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:43:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7041262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickytrinket/pseuds/trickytrinket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Juggling between her personal life and work, life seems perfect for Elli Lane but she can't just leave a certain Thespian who used to be her best friend behind. No matter how hard she tried to do so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just can't let leave them alone. I hope you guys are happy with this one. The next confrontation is coming ;)

“So, remind me, why are we here again, Michael?” Elli resisted the urge to glare at the man who had his hand wrapped around her waist.

The Irish gave her a sideway glance. He barely concealed his smirk, “You are here to visit me. In addition to that, it’s time for the reporters to do set visit for Alien: Covenant. It’s not every time you have the chance to combine business with pleasure, Elli.”

“Michael, I don’t know about you -- but last time I checked, the set for Alien is located in Sydney not in Queensland,” Elli continued bombarding Michael with questions.

“Darling, are you still jetlagged? I know you hate flying but have you checked the weather forecast? Did you notice how gloomy Sydney is lately?”

“Winter is coming,” Elli quoted the tagline of her favourite TV show on purpose.

“And Jon Snow came back to life. Oops, spoiler alert,” Michael chuckled before continuing, “It’s a nice change of environment. Here in Gold Coast, you can still catch the sunshine while taking a break on the beach.”

As they strolled down the beach, Elli didn’t utter a word, keeping her thoughts to herself. No, she wasn’t complaining. If she was being honest, she liked the delicate weather in this part Australia, especially at this time of the year. She remembered her conversation few days ago with one of the journos at the set of Alien. That journo told her how awful Melbourne’s weather is. Frusnoyying was the word being used to describe Victoria’s weather -- a short version of frustrating and annoying.

However, Elli was no fool. She knew he was in Gold Coast as well. The last time she saw him was at Berlinale, or was it Tribeca? She couldn’t really remember but she was sure it was after the premiere of The Night Manager which catapulted him to the frontrunner of being 007.

“I know dear old Thomas is in town, Ells.”

Elli turned her head to face Michael really fast. She was almost afraid she might get a whiplash from doing so. Before Elli got the chance to say a word, Michael replied.

“You really need to learn to lower that voice in your head.”

“You are not afraid?”

It was the question that came automatically from her mouth after a moment of silence between them.

“Should I be afraid?” Michael retorted.

Looking straight into his eyes, Elli whispered, “I chose you, Michael.”

“That you did, Elli,” Michael smiled at her, brushing his lips against hers. Elli responded in kind, looping her arms around his neck, she deepened their kiss. The paparazzi in Queensland wasn’t as crazy as those in Sydney, another advantage for them.

Breaking their kiss, Michael spoke, “Listen, I am not prohibiting you from seeing Tom.”

“I don’t know if I want to see him,” Elli shrugged.

“I have said this before, Lane, you need to learn how to think in silence.”

Elli scoffed, “I know he’s doing well.”

“But that’s not enough for you. He is your friend even after what happened.”

Michael flashed her another smile. This time challenging her to come with a better response, in which Elli decided to sit on one of the bench. They couldn’t continue this conversation while walking.

“He knows about us, doesn’t he?”

“He knows I am with someone called Michael. But, well, your name is a common one.”

It was Michael’s turn to roll his eyes, “Don’t be silly, Elli. I bet Ben told him about us.”

“Did Ben say anything to you?”

“I told Ben I am in a committed relationship with you. Although, now that I think about it again, there must be like a split second where he was considering whether to punch me or not.”

“Ha ha, you are funny,” Elli elbowed him. Somehow, deep down, she believed Ben wasn’t alone. Nick stared at her for five straight minutes when she told him she was with Michael now while Amy wanted to drag her to get her checked. Maybe losing your fiancé and your best friend in a span of a month had messed you up, Lane. Those were the exact words that Amy used.

Michael yelped, pretending to be hurt by Elli’s attack.

“Can I ask you something, Elli?”

Elli was taken aback with his question. Simply because it was not a typical Fassbender act. He was quite a straightforward individual – to put it mildly.

“Are you ill? Did a spider bite you? Or a snake? This is the most dangerous country after all,” Elli put her hand on his forehead, pretending to check his temperature.

“Just be honest with me, okay? I won’t be mad.”

Okay, he was not just beating around the bush but he was also quite serious.

“Okay, now you’re really scaring me, Michael,” Elli laughed as an attempt to diffuse the tension between them.

“Did you sleep with Tom when he went to see while you were on the run?”

Her jaw dropped, not expecting Michael to ask her that question.

“Yes, I did.”

Well, he wanted her honest so there it was.

“Then what happened?”

“I realised it wasn’t the right thing to do. I can’t sleep afterwards. I did sleep but I kept on tossing around the bed, or my eyes would be opened and looking at the darkness. I didn’t feel at peace, I ended up hating myself even more. Truthfully, I didn’t know how to put this in the right way either, Michael.”

Elli paused, searching for the words to describe that day to Michael. She closed her eyes.

“The next morning, I spent hours under the shower. My miserable attempt to wash him off, to forget him, to undo what we did last night. Tom, oh Tom, he was pissed and he had every right to be pissed. I could have said no the night before but I didn’t. I’d like to think he was hurt because of my attitude that day.”

“I didn’t blame him. I understand him. That night, he must have felt like he had won the grand prize. The BAFTA or The Oscar but then it was all taken away from him the next morning. Poor chap,” Michael wasn’t good when it comes to psychoanalyse an individual but this case wasn’t a rocket science.

“It is not that simple, Michael. I know it. Deep down Tom knows it too. He just doesn’t want to admit that,” Elli’s voice was trembling. Was it because of the exhaustion of finally sharing this piece of information with Michael or she just realised the damaged relationship she now had with her childhood friend – she wasn’t sure.

Michael was glad he was raised by his parents. Her dad didn’t leave her mother for someone else or they didn’t file for divorce. He was in no position to judge what Elli and Tom had experienced when they were kids. But he understood Elli’s vexation with Tom who tried to play his victim card.

“You can punch him, Elli.”

“Michael.”

“I am just saying. If it’s going to make you feel better, then why not.”

“You’re a bad influence,” Elli shook her head in disbelief but her lips broke into a smile. Let’s be real, Michael’s advice wasn’t that bad.

“I don’t mind doing that on your behalf, Lane,” Michael confessed as he pulled Elli closer to him, giving her another peck on the cheek.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elli's overdue conversation with Tom didn't turn out to be like what she has been expecting.

Enjoying the warmth of the sunshine, it was Elli’s reason for coming to the beach this morning. And she would not let her former best friend’s presence to ruin her plan. As if he could read her mind, Tom left the Hemsworths, who appear to be enjoying a day in the beach, and made his way to her.

_Calm down, Ells. You know it’s just a matter of time before you see him again._ Elli told herself.

“That’s a new low for you. Trying to use your best friend’s daughter as a buffer, Thomas.”

“And that’s what I called as a strong accusation, Elli. You saw Chris and Elsa over there with the twins. And their hands were full with the twins so I offered to help them.”

Shaking her head at this twisted coincidence, Elli muttered under her breath, “I hate it when he’s right.”

“Let’s play pretend then,” Tom apparently was thrilled with his upper hand. It’s been a while since she saw him at Tribeca during The Night Manager premiere.

“You bloody well know I’m not good at pretending.”

“It’s never too late to try something new.”

Elli sighed, conceding to his request, “I only have time until noon.”

But Tom chose to start with a small talk between them, “How’s it going? Enjoying the sunshine?”

“I am sure going to miss it when I returned to London.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Two weeks and I’ll be in Sydney this weekend before flying back to London,” Elli had to stifle a groan. She wasn’t looking forward to the fact that she was going to spend another 24 hours on a plane.

“Sydney?” Tom’s brows shot up.

Elli gave him a sideway glance. He was playing dumb, wasn’t he? His poor attempt to continue this conversation, “Yes, Tom, Sydney. I need to see Michael.”

“I take it things are going well between the two of you then.”

Elli understood his intention. He was going to bombard her with every questions, asking every personal details until she lost it and told him everything or to get lost.

“I don’t know you still have that much interest of my personal life.”

“Well, you are my friend, aren’t you?”

His boldness stunned her. Beneath his calm demeanour, his underlying sarcasm was not hard to miss.

“Don’t get me wrong, Elli. I still honour your request.”

And he was right. Taking a deep breath, Elli finally decided to engage in this conversation. She casted a glance at him. Noticing he was hiding under his baseball cap and shades. Of course, after being deemed as the next 007, among other things, it was hard for him to maintain anonymity these days.

“So, is it Loki or Lady Loki? Are you gonna dress in drag for this movie?”

“You know the snipers never sleep,” Tom chuckled, giving her a cheeky wink.

“Fine. What about SDCC? For Skull Island?”

“Could be.”

Rolling her eyes, she hated it when Tom was being coy, “So, Warner has a sniper too?”

Tom answered with a smile and moved on into another topic, “How’s your mother?”

“She’s been better. I can’t leave her for too long now. Fortunately, the nurse helps me to arrange a video call with her every now and then,” Elli shrugged. It’s not that she didn’t care about her mother but she had come into terms to what’s waiting for her mother at the end of the line.

Tom shifted on his seat and Elli noticed that too. It was still clear in their heads what happened during their last encounter at the nursing home. Preferring not to be all nostalgic about it, Elli steered the conversation away.

“Enough about me. How’s life treating you, Mr. Pine?” Elli teased him with his latest moniker.

“I am back here under the sunshine in less than a year time, well I have nothing to complain then. Life’s great so far. I mean look at that,” Tom gestured at the rolling wave against the beach and the people, strangers who were blissfully unaware of the presence of the Hollywood A-listers on the beach today.

“Oh you know I shot Skull Island here as well, right?”

Elli replied in a slow nod, confused with his sudden and contagious enthusiasm. To be honest the change made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t predict what he was going to say next.

“Our director of photography has a list of the best café around Gold Coast. They serve the best coffee I’ve ever had. I will give you the list of the cafe, you should totally go there.”

“When I had the time, I would. By the way, have you perfected your Aussie accent since you spend way too much of your time working here?”

Her question sent to chortling with laughter. He cleared his throat before doing his best impression of Chris for the million time, “Oi, how’s it goin’, mate? Have a g’day!”

“Ha! You sound just like a true Aussie,” Elli made a clapping motion with her hands. He has always been good with him impressions. Maybe something will never change.

“An honorary Aussie,” Tom corrected her.

“With that accent, you deserve it, Tom. If it was me who tried doing that accent, I would probably be deported because they found my accent insulting.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh God. I can hear myself doing an accent in my head and it’s terrifying. Please, don’t force me, Tom,” Elli was covering her face, mortified with the prospect of hearing herself trying to imitate that accent.

“Fine, fine. I will stop now,” Tom held up both of his hands.

“Good. How long are you going to be here, Tom?”

“It depends on how fast we finish the shoot. Might be until October or the end of the year.”

“Just make sure you make it home for Christmas.”

He let out a low chuckle, “Oh definitely. My mum would disown me if I didn’t make it home for Christmas.”

“How’s your sisters?” Despite the bad blood between her and Tom, his sisters were also an integral part of her childhood.

“Sarah and her family have moved back to London while Emma is about to become a mother soon,” Tom informed her.

“Your mum must be so thrilled with that.”

“You have no idea.”

With a deep breath, Elli fired her next question. “What about you then?”

If Tom was surprised then he masked it well, “Ha! Constantly working and away from home. Hardly the perfect description of a boyfriend. So, the answer is no. There’s nothing to write home about, Lane.”

“You’ll never know, Tom. Or it could be just someone to keep your bed warm at night. We both know you are no stranger to that,” Elli tried to keep her tone light.

“Thanks, Ells,” Tom spoke in an undertone.

“I am merely stating your track record, Tom,” Elli shrugged off his reply.

Facing her, Tom asked her, “Can we speak about your track record then?”

“What? My track record? What about it?” Elli stumbled on her own words. She was perplexed with the new direction of their conversation.

“You and your man, Elli.”

“You are talking about Michael, right?” Elli sought for a confirmation. “I know someone must have told you about that.”

“Not just someone. It was several people actually.”

Elli cleared her throat as her attempt to calm herself. They never addressed this issue properly. Not even during their short talk at Tribeca.

“Considering our situation, I can’t just text you to inform you about my relationship with Michael, Tom.”

Tom could sense her uneasiness, “Don’t be agitated, Elli. I just have several questions that’s all. Can we do that? As a friend?”

Even though she was growing suspicious about his question, Elli still gave him a swift nod.

“Why Michael?”

Elli should have seen this question coming but still she couldn’t hide her own curiosity regarding the entire predicament between her and this man next to her, “Do you really want me to answer _that_ question?”

“If you have the answer, then I can’t see why not,” His nonchalant attitude was on show now.

“Sometimes it just happened, Tom. I think that’s pretty much summed it all. We found our things in common and decided to work it out from there.”

“Are you happy?”

“I am. He is fun to be around with. There’s no dull moment with him.”

“I am glad to hear that,” Tom whispered. His tone was laced with concern which only caused Elli to question his intention further.

“Why are you so worried about this, Tom?”

“It’s actually nothing. It’s just -- I have read some stuff about him in the past.”

_Stuff in the past_. Elli repeated. Such a vague sentence yet Elli understood which kind of stuff he was talking about.

“I don’t know you like to read tabloids, Tom,” She said once she regained composure of herself.

“And what’s even more surprising is you believe what they wrote. You should have known better how the entire media circus work,” Elli added. Gone was the welcoming feeling she had for him earlier. She was such a fool for believing that somehow they would be able to salvage this friendship.

“Do you honestly think Michael is not treating me well?”

“Elli.”

No. Elli wasn’t going to hear him now. All Tom had to do now was to shut up and listen to her, “I worked for him for years. I live his life practically whenever he was too busy doing his job. Fuck, as much as I hate to say this, I might know him as well as I know you.”

Seeing as how people around them started to pay attention to their conversation, Tom reached for her arm, “Lower your voice, Elli.”

“That’s rich coming from you, Tom! You are the one who started this whole conversation about my personal life and now you told me to calm down?”

Forget the sunshine, forget the beach. Thanks to Tom and his ego – such a sickening combination. Yanking her arm away, Elli stood up abruptly. She faced Tom one more time before walking away from him.

“Listen, I am sorry if things between us doesn’t turn out to be like what you wanted. I wish we would still be able to save our friendship. God, I wish we could still be friend, Tom, but apparently you make it impossible to do so.”

***

“Before you scream, I have to tell you that yes I know you are at work but this is really urgent, Amy.”

Elli waited for her cousin’s response. She could tell Amy was sorting out the paper on her working table before interrogating her further.

“Okay, I’m sitting down. You’re lucky I am not busy today, Ells. I just arrived in the office.”

“I hope the students are not troubling you much,” Elli said. This was nearing the end of the semester. While university students were burdened with assignments, their lecturers were rushing to grade their assignments. In this case, Amy was part of the lecturers.

“Nothing that I can’t handle. So, how’s Australia? Did Michael manage to drag you to learn how to surf?” Amy giggled, knowing Elli would scream at her for asking her about surfing again.

“Loving the sunshine, definitely something that you can’t get much back home. For the love of God, please stop giving him that idea. I am content to be the spectator on the seaside.”

“Okay, so why did you call me? What happened? Did you meet the owner of the so-called British Countryside?” It didn’t take a genius to figure out the root of Elli’s vexation.

“Yup, I did.”

“I take it that it didn’t go well.”

Elli took a deep breath before beginning to share her story with Amy, “Tom was so infuriating. I mean, it was fine at first. We had a small talk to catch up with each other live but then he started to ask about my personal life. No, not personal life but my love life.”

“He asked about Michael?”

Elli pinched the bridge of her nose. Confusion and anger were clouding her mind, “Yes.”

“Uhm, sorry, dear cousin, but what’s the problem with that? I asked the same question sometimes. Even you asked about Nick every now and then.”

“The reason he asked about Michael was because he thought Michael wasn’t good to me. He has been reading some trashy tabloid and somehow, he lost his Cambridge-educated brain and believed the words on those pile of shit.”

“Seriously?” Amy whispered in disbelief.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Elli came up with her sarcastic reply.

“But why?”

“Jealousy? Pettiness? Childishness? I don’t know, I am tempted to make a list of his annoying trait right now,” Elli protested, dealing with Tom earlier today drained almost all of her energy.

“I am sorry. You must be so disappointed with him, Ells,” Amy tried to encourage her cousin.

Elli let out a long breath. “How often does Nick meet him though?”

“Not very often lately.”

“Ask him to kick Tom’s arse when they met again.”

“Don’t be so hard on him.”

“On Nick? Or Tom? I thought you are not taking any side, Amy,” Elli could not hide her disappointment as she was about to start an argument with her cousin.

“I am not. I am just trying to see things from both perspectives.”

“And your conclusion is?”

“Healing is a complicated process, Ells. Although generally it happens with the same mechanism, the speed varies between individuals. Lucky for you, you found Michael and he helped you with it. But Tom is different. Maybe he hasn’t found his person or maybe all he needs is time.”

Elli didn’t speak a word. Her mind was still racing and four shots of espresso she had earlier that day didn’t help her at all. She had to manage her current predicament with Tom. She just had no idea where to start.

“Amy, you have a degree in chemistry not in psychology.”

Amy chuckled, “I do read books related with other subjects, Ells.”

“It’s not easy, is it?” Elli retorted as if she was trying to remind herself of something she had done.

Amy was pondering her response. Even when Elli knew what she was doing this time, Amy knew all it needed was one little slip for Elli to forget everything she said in Ireland. That’s why the chemist chose to warn her.

 “What’s more important is you don’t want to make the same mistake twice, Ells.”

Elli’s breath hitched. Yeah, Elli is thinking about the same thing too.

 


End file.
